Cheekh Ep 16: Powerful performances & well-written characters

After weeks and weeks of buildup, Cheekh finally gave us an episode packed full of rapid developments and revelations. While every episode of Cheekh always has those exciting moments, this episode really turned the tide of the battle! Mannat once again showed she was not to be trifled with so easily, and Haya starts to see the truth of the matter finally. Meanwhile, Yawar and Shehwar face the truth and Yawar divorces Shehwar even though she had been right all along. Mannat is finding support steadily now and it might mean that she could find justice after all.

Firstly, Mannat has shown such incredible strength and resolve specially in this episode that she has become one of my favorite on-screen characters of all time. She really is well-written, and her scene with Wajih where she slaps him was an incredibly well-done scene by both actors in terms of acting. Even though she had faced so much opposition, Mannat continued to thrive and now her strength is reaping benefits as we see Wajih’s family break up steadily and doubt being casted upon him.

In comparison to Mannat, Wajih really isn’t that interesting of a character and his presence in scenes puts a damper on everything. Bilal Abbas really has given his all to this role because he seems so natural at it!

The biggest focus of this episode was how Yawar’s family started to break up. The revelation that Yawar had indeed been lying to Shehwar was finally corroborated by Yawar himself whose ego could not handle that Shehwar had found out and so he divorces her. While it is sad to see someone like Shehwar go through such things, this will be a positive development for Mannat as Shehwar is another witness to Wajih’s crime. Whether she agrees to testify in court is yet to be seen, but the sad ending to her already-weak marriage will trigger Shehwar to do something.

On the other side, Haya finally starts to see the truth about Wajih wholly and tells Shayan that he needs to be brought to justice. The fact that she doesn’t tell Mannat and instead tries to mend their relationship first brings a whole new dimension to Haya’s character and has made her more likeable with each scene. Her regret at making those choices is depicted very well, and Haya and Mannat’s scenes were pretty nostalgic of their time together in the start of the drama. It was a treat to watch them together, honestly!

After so many episodes that built up tension, this episode
was a huge development in the story. Of course, we are still waiting for the
court scenes to begin fully because that is going to be the highlight of the
drama. I think the director and writer have done a perfect job of creating
tension in the drama and the characters have really become well-developed, but
now it’s time to move on. As always, I can’t wait for next week’s episode to
see what it brings for Mannat and her family!

What were your thoughts on this week’s episode of Cheekh? Do
let me know in the comments!